Violinist Diana Jipa and pianist Ștefan Doniga have made history as the first Romanian musicians to perform in Antarctica. Their special concert, held at the Julio Escudero Scientific Base on December 14, is now awaiting recognition from Guinness World Records.

Their remarkable achievement also marks them as the first musicians in the world to hold professional concerts on all seven continents in less than 100 days. The Romanian musicians previously announced their plan to break a Guinness World Record for the "fastest time to play a concert on each continent.”

The performance took place later than scheduled due to Antarctic weather conditions, finishing at 22:26 local time (3:26 AM Romanian time), precisely 99 days, 6 hours, and 26 minutes after the start of their "Freedom Road" tour in Brussels on September 7, 2024, the organizers said. 

The concert was attended by over 70 people, including researchers and staff from eight different scientific stations, making it the second-largest public musical event in Antarctica's history, after a Metallica concert in 2013 that attracted 120 attendees. On the same occasion, the legendary American rockers also initiated the world record that Diana Jipa and Ștefan Doniga aim to break, with their performance set to be evaluated and certified by Guinness World Records in the coming period.

The Romanian musicians also made a contribution to the scientific base by donating the piano and violin used during the performance, along with valuable cultural items such as bilingual editions of works by poet Mihai Eminescu, an album dedicated to artist Nicolae Grigorescu, CDs, and collections of sheet music by composers Ciprian Porumbescu and George Enescu.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: PR)